Foil Resist – Time for a Technique Tutorial

Yep! It’s long over due to do another tutorial! I got caught up in quite a few things to do the tutorials weekly so I’d like to do them at least once a month. There’s a bit of work snapping the photos after each step along with editing, etc. Doing a video is MUCH faster but I tend to be a little bit of a perfectionist and I kept doing re-takes! ACK! I can’t win! Oh one day I’ll just let go and do a few videos! LOL

Alrighty! Onto today’s technique tutorial! I’ve called this technique Foil Resist. (remember you heard it here first! LOL)
What’s great with this technique is that you make a positive and a negative image.

Now I haven’t done extensive searching but Clearsnap have a few different colours (including a holographic) of transfer foils. The one disadvantage is that they only come in the size that you see here. It’s approximately 2 x 7 3/4″. I know there’s others out there (and if you’re a transfer foil supplier and would like to send me some to test…drop me an email ;) ) but I’ve heard that not all transfer foils are equal. Some need heat, some don’t release the same way. (I can’t really say first hand, this is what someone had told me.) With these Clearsnap ones you just need something sticky.

Place ONE piece (DON’T emboss the second piece) of the card stock in the embossing folder and run it through an embossing machine. I like to place it on an angle, it give the piece more dimension rather than just aligning it. Of course it depends on the pattern too!

Ahhhh, here we are! Nicely embossed! Now remove the release paper from the adhesive. Don’t touch any exposed areas of the adhesive. It picks up oils from your fingers. The oil affects how glitter sticks to it and looks uneven.

PLACE the piece of release foil on top. Try not to press down on it. Be Creative tape is stinkin’ sticky and we want only the embossed areas to pick up the foil.

Gently brayer over top. Take care to keep the brayer on the raised areas. A couple of passes will do.

WAHOO!! Tear off the foil and here’s what you’d get. The transfer foil with swirly bits removed and this lovely piece of sticky card stock with foil green flourishes. Now you can see where I got foil on the flat areas, the brayer had rocked a little. Now in most cases there’s a lot of blingy-ness going on where it may not be as noticeable.

Now add the microfine glitter over top and spread around with your finger, taking care not to come in contact with the adhesive. The glitter will not stick in any of the areas where the foil is stuck. So yes…it’s resisting the glitter. Hey…it works for me! ;)

Remove the excess glitter then with a few fingers burnish (gently rub) the glitter all over the piece of card stock. Now this technique does a couple of things. First you ensure that the glitter is well stuck to the adhesive. Second, the oils in your fingers polish the glitter making it shinier! This technique was developed by Deanna Pannell and Haroldine Wingfield. Two creative friends of mine…Deanna supplied the glitter and Haroldine supplied the adhesive! (kinda sounds like putting together a Reese peanut butter cup! LOL) If you’re looking for more microfine glitter techniques check out Deanna’s website.
Brush off any excess glitter. That’s one piece done! YaY!

Now, grab the second piece of card stock and remove the release paper (save it for the next step though) then place the rest of the foil transfer over top. For this piece you can press down or roll the brayer over as you want to transfer all the foil over.

Remove the acetate and use the piece of release paper (from the step above) on the card stock to help you separate the acetate. It may feel like it’s really stuck on there and it is! But keep at it and it will give.

Now sprinkle the glitter over top and burnish it into the areas where the adhesive is exposed. Brush off the excess glitter and there you have it!

Two pieces of beautifully, blingy card stock (it may not look like it in this photo but it’s tough to take photos of blingy things)…two pieces…the same, yet different!

Hope you enjoyed today’s tutorial. If you do give this technique a go, I’d LOVE to see what you’ve done with it! Let me know in the comments area with a link to your project and I’ll check it out!

It’s a brave woman who takes a very thin foil transfer to Be Creative tape – LOL! Great results, love all the sparkle and shine!
I have a stash of foils from long ago from tape size rolls to I think even sheets. You applied a glue at that time and waited until it turned clear and then applied it to your design. We used it with stamped designs back then. I will have to try this with those foils and the Be Creative Tape. Thanks for a great tutorial. Will let you if you can still get the foils if it works.